Cape Coral Police Arrest Antonio Palhares Desouza After Vehicle Burglary and Canal Escape Attempt

Cape Coral Police arrested Antonio Palhares Desouza on Monday night after he allegedly attempted to burglarize a vehicle on Nautilus Drive and then tried to evade officers by swimming across a canal. Desouza faces charges including Burglary of an Unoccupied Conveyance, Loitering and Prowling, and Resisting an Officer Without Violence.

The incident began on September 21, 2026, at approximately 10:42 PM, when Cape Coral Police responded to a report of a vehicle burglary in progress in the 5300 block of Nautilus Drive. A resident, observing the situation live through their home security system, saw a shirtless male exit a white SUV, approach their driveway, and attempt to open the locked door of their unoccupied pickup truck. The suspect fled the area heading toward El Dorado Parkway East after failing to gain entry.

A description of the suspect and vehicle was quickly broadcast to patrol units. Shortly before 10:57 PM, an officer located a white Lexus RX 350 SUV, matching the description, parked backward in a driveway in the 1400 block of Wiltshire Court. The officer observed a male suspect standing on the passenger side of the vehicle. This individual briefly ducked under the SUV before fleeing on foot toward a nearby canal.

In an attempt to escape capture, the suspect jumped into the canal and swam to the opposite bank. However, officers had already positioned themselves in the area and successfully located and detained him in the 1400 block of Windsor Court. Investigators identified the suspect as Antonio Palhares Desouza, a Cape Coral resident born on July 1, 1983, and confirmed he was the registered owner of the Lexus SUV. Home security footage later reviewed by police corroborated Desouza's attempt to open the truck's door.

Following his apprehension, Antonio Palhares Desouza was transported to the Lee County Jail. He faces a third-degree felony charge for Burglary of an Unoccupied Conveyance (F.S.S. 810.02(4b)), a second-degree misdemeanor for Loitering and Prowling (F.S.S. 856.021), and a first-degree misdemeanor for Resisting an Officer Without Violence (F.S.S. 843.02).